January 30, 2024 Edition

An intervention given to pregnant women by non-specialist providers greatly reduced the chances of developing postpartum depression or anxiety.

Findings about a metabolite of niacin, or vitamin B3, raise concerns about the health effects of too much niacin and suggest new measures to help prevent or treat cardiovascular disease

Researchers designed a synthetic drug that shuts down protein production in a range of different bacteria.

A study in India found that children with diarrhea often aren’t given oral rehydration salts because providers assume that parents prefer other treatments.

Researchers showed that a drug used to treat allergic asthma can reduce reactions to peanuts and other common foods in children with multiple food allergies.

Researchers compared people with post-infectious ME/CFS to those without and found important differences in their brains and other body systems.

Researchers found that fragments of SARS-CoV-2 left behind after the immune system fights off infection may continue to trigger immune responses.

Scientists identified molecules in blood that may reflect a person’s risk for severe psychotic symptoms and future hospitalizations, and may point to personalized treatment options.

Gaps around blood vessels that cross the layers of tissues protecting the brain allow certain cells and molecules to move between the brain and the body.

The activity of a type of RNA called Xist may help explain why autoimmune diseases are more common in women than men.

Scientists identified a protein that triggers changes in mitochondria that lead to reduced fat-burning to promote weight gain in mice fed a high-fat diet.

Researchers identified how neurons in the human brain encode various elements of speech. The findings might be used to help develop treatments for speech and language disorders.

Men with cancer confined to the prostate experienced different long-term side effects depending on the type of treatment received.

Researchers used machine learning to estimate which waters are protected by the Clean Water Act, which provides the basis for federal regulation of water quality, including water for drinking.

Researchers created nanoparticles that could deactivate immune cells and prevent severe allergic reactions in mice.

Semaglutide was associated with a lower risk of suicidal thoughts than other anti-obesity and anti-diabetes drugs.

After hospitals were purchased by private equity firms, patients had a substantial increase in infections, falls, and other adverse events.

Researchers developed an imaging technique that detected thousands of tiny bits of plastic in common single-use bottles of water.

People with diabetes who took drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists had a lower risk of colorectal cancer compared with those prescribed other diabetes drugs.

People with chronic tinnitus were more likely to have signs of damage to their cochlear nerve than people without the condition.

Researchers found that proteins in the blood can be used to track the aging of individual organs, and that faster organ aging increased the risk of disease and death.

NIH accomplishments in disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment include an antibiotic to prevent sexually transmitted infections, an mRNA vaccine to treat pancreatic cancer, and an app for autism screening.

Noteworthy NIH advances in basic research include detailed cellular maps of human and nonhuman animal brains, a contraceptive that disables sperm, and a vaccine that could provide broad protection against microbes.

NIH findings with potential for enhancing human health include insights into Long COVID and ME/CFS, and a promising blood test for early Alzheimer’s detection.

Air pollution from coal power plants was associated with greater mortality than previously thought, but such deaths have decreased due to air pollution regulations and coal power plant retirements.

While contracting COVID-19 increased the risk of preterm birth between 2020 and 2022, the risk then faded, due in large part to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

Scientists found that tiny plastic particles can enter nerve cells, impair breakdown of structures linked to Parkinson's disease, and harm certain brain regions in mice.